Coherent (company)

Coherent Inc is a company situated in Santa Clara, California, USA. It was founded in 1966 and converted to public ownership in 1970. Coherent serves a number of markets with its products for industrial, scientific and medical applications. As of November 2007, the total annual sales of the company were US$ 600 million, with 70% of product being exported outside of the USA.

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Coherent Medical Group

Following a 1997 partnership agreement with Palomar Medical Technologies, and the subsequent acquisition by Coherent of Palomar's subsidiary, Star Medical Technologies, Coherent strengthened it's ophthamlic, urology and aesthetic medical laser products.

Medical laser products were manufactured and marketed by the Coherent Medical Group subsidiary. Noteably, Coherent Medical Group is responsible for the early commercialisation of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty for treatment of glaucoma.

Coherent exited the ophthalmic laser market in 2001 with the sale of the Coherent Medical to ESC Medical Systems (Yokneam, Israel), with the resultant merged entity being renamed Lumenis. The sale agreement included a six-year contract to supply lasers and components to Lumenis.

Coherent cited reasons for the sale being increased competition in the medical laser market, and a re-focussing of efforts on telecommunications, test and measurement, and semiconductor manufacturing markets.

Since 2001, Lumenis has experienced significant market share erosion from competing ophthalmic laser manufacturers such as Zeiss, Ellex Medical Lasers and Iridex. However, Coherent Inc remains, as of November 2007, the largest supplier of OEM excimer lasers to ophthalmic system integrators.